Father Tom Ferguson, Good Shepherd Catholic Church; Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears; Alison Ross Tompkins, Chamber Chairman; GEN RT Robert Jorgensen, Army Retirement Residence Foundation – Potomac; Dorothy Jorgensen.
The Lt. Governor started her day with the Chamber at its monthly Business Breakfast hosted at The Fairfax Retirement Community by Alison Ross-Tompkins, Chamber chairman and director of sales and marketing at The Fairfax.
This lovely venue offered a delicious breakfast, followed by updates on new chamber members, an invocation by Good Shepherd Catholic Church's Father Tom Ferguson, the National Anthem performed by Village Hardware's Jim Carmalt, and the pledge of allegiance lead by Phylis Sintay, McEnearney and Associates.
Lt. Gov Earle-Sears addressed the large group of attendees with an update on the Commonwealth's budget and important current issues facing fellow citizens of Virginia. She discussed issues such as immigration, taxes, broadband and inflation after which she answered questions from the attendees.
She then helped cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Belvoir Woods Health Care Center located on the campus of The Fairfax Retirement Community.
Supervisor Rodney Lusk, Lee District, provided Earle-Sears a tour of the new Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub (WISH) Center. This project is a huge win for the Route 1 corridor and is a beacon for its future. Sears was able to inquire about the project with key stakeholders and contractors while touring the building.
During the tour, Lusk emphasized the goals of the WISH Center which are to provide an entry salary of at least $21 per hour for program graduates, expose students to emerging technology, and attract technology companies to invest in Southeast Fairfax County.
"Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears and I also discussed future opportunities for collaboration and possible funding for workforce development efforts at the WISH and throughout Fairfax County,” said Lusk.
Then the Lt. Governor met with Chamber leadership for lunch at Cedar Knoll Restaurant with owner Andrew Holden. These business owners were able to share on a personal level the issues impacting their businesses and employees. Mental health, inflation and employee recruitment and retention were top concerns of many businesses.
The Women's Military Memorial at Arlington was the last stop on the Lt. Governor’s visit.